Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Update on Upcoming Incognito & Criminal.

There are a few things I've noticed over the last week or so.

Glancing at the world of crime comics in general, I see that the first two entries of Vertigo Crime are reaching stores today. (I already have my copy of each book.) Recently, DC's November solicitations have revealed that the next entry in the series -- The Chill, by Hard Case Crime regular Jason Starr -- is due to be released on January 6th.

Our own Ed Brubaker finishes his run on Daredevil with the landmark issue #500 this week, and Marvel's November solicitations give us hints about future issues in his high-profile mini-series, Captain America: Reborn and The Marvels Project.

Most importantly for fans of Brubaker and Phillips, we have a little more information about their upcoming collaborations.

First, Sean Phillips reports that he has finished work on the last issue of Incognito. On his Twitter page, Ed Brubaker confirms the additional pages that Phillips told us about a couple weeks ago, writing that the finale is "practically double-sized."

On the heels of the mini-series, Marvel's November solicitations confirm that the trade paperback is scheduled to go on sale on November 25th, Thanksgiving Eve. After that? Again on Twitter, Brubaker writes, "yes, INCOGNITO will return next year, after CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS. But only if you all buy CRIMINAL, too."

Second, while we're on the subject of Criminal, Sean Phillips relays that work has begun on the first issue of "The Sinners." We're given a very slight preview of the first page, the first two lines of dark but funny dialogue that is, appropriately enough for Tracy Lawless, told in the third person.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Upcoming Schedule, Fall 2009.

Over at his blog, Sean Phillips has been posting artwork for the upcoming conclusion to Incognito, and he's also been posting "old stuff" such as art from his book Blow Up, because he can't really show preview work for the last, presumably crucial pages of the final issue.

It still might be a few weeks before this last issue reaches stores, as Marvel.com currently lists the release date of Incognito #6 as September 2nd, a late enough date that it might push back the release of "The Sinners," the upcoming Criminal arc.

(UPDATE, Aug 5: Sean explains in the comments below that the book has been pushed back a couple weeks because it's become presumably an extra long issue: Incognito #6 "contains 32 pages of story rather than the usual 23, and of course, those extra pages take time to draw...")

So, for fans of Phillips' excellent collaborations with Ed Brubaker, August will be a very quiet month in terms of new releases, but it's only the calm before the storm, as we'll see new releases for Criminal, Incognito, and even Sleeper in the months that follow.

Though all dates are, of course, subject to change, here's the upcoming schedule for the next few months, including a few other releases that I've mentioned previously.

RECENTLY ADDED: November 25Incognito trade- Incognito by Brubaker and Phillips

NovemberThe Criminalhardcover- Criminal: The Deluxe Edition by Brubaker and Phillips

Dark Horse's Noir anthology was originally scheduled for September 30th and has only recently been pushed back a couple weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if the first two issues of "The Sinners" is also delayed in light of the late release for the final issue of Incognito.

Criminal: The Deluxe Edition was advance-solicited, and I haven't been able to find a specific release date. Very soon after the hardcover was announced, Ed Brubaker relayed that it would be released in November.

[We've seen the cover art for the Incognito trade collection, but the trade hasn't been solicited, and I guess it will be released no earlier than November. UPDATE, Aug 19: Marvel's November solicitations now confirm a November 25th release date.]

And, we haven't seen any additional solicitations for "The Sinners," but another issue or two of Criminal might make it to stores before the end of the year.

So.

In the span of about three months, we'll see [UPDATED] the first two Vertigo Crime books and the second Liberty Comics; we'll have the final new trade collection for Sleeper and the second hardcover for Gotham Central; and we'll have the Incognito finale and its trade collection.

Last but not least, we'll have a Criminal short story in Dark Horse Noir, the return of the main series with at least two issues of "The Sinners," and the hardcover Criminal: The Deluxe Edition.

It's going to be a busy fall, leading right into the Christmas shopping season.